Death of a Terrible Rocker
The death of Charlie Manson this week reminds me of the thwarted artist theory that may have triggered his mania in the first place. Just as Hitler may have been…
Steely Dan’s Walter Becker (1950-2017)
One of the charms of Walter Becker, the Steely Dan co founder who died Sunday at 67, is that he looked less like a rock star and more like the…
Remembering Jerry Lewis, 1926-2017
Dying Sunday at 91, two weeks before another Labor Day, Jerry Lewis was spared watching another Muscular Dystrophy Telethon without him. Lewis, who helped create the annual event, had been…
Glen Campbell, 1936-2017
Though we knew it was coming, it was sad to hear of the death of Glen Campbell at 81. His long bout with Alzheimer’s was brilliantly depicted in the sometimes…
Remembering Adam West, Best Batman
For the number of actors who have donned the cape to become increasingly more dark Dark Knights in recent decades, the most iconic Batman was the one on TV in…
How Gregg Allman Came to Sing
The death of Gregg Allman at 69 Saturday brings to four the number of original members of the Allman Brothers Band now gone. From the earliest recordings in 1970, his…
Remembering Chuck Berry, 1926-2017
Other than Elvis, the number of rock ’n’ roll pioneers that have been still among us all these years is pretty impressive, with Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats…
Remembering Leon Russell, 1942-2016
The sad march of death of influential rock ’n’ roll figures continues with the death of Leon Russell on Sunday at 74. Most prominent in the spectacular “Mad Dogs and…
Remembering Candye Kane, 1965-2016
The year took another musician Friday as Candye Kane, the big blues singer died at 50, following a long bout with pancreatic cancer. The singer, who released dozens of albums…
Remembering Prince, 1958-2016
The pillars of popular music continue to fall with shocking crashes this year. In a death-filled year that began with Bowie, now comes word of the death of Prince at…